May 2007 Headlines
May 23, 2007
Katie McMahon named Honorable-Mention All-American
Three Cougars earn Scholar-Athlete honors
Columbia, Mo. - Three members of the softball squad have been named Daktronics-NAIA Scholar-Athletes. Members of the squad must hold at least junior status academically and have a minimum cumulative grade-point average of 3.5 on a 4.0 scale. Junior Lindsey Williams and seniors Stephanie Kababie and Chris Schoonover are 2007 recipients of the award.
Kababie and Schoonover recently graduated from Columbia College with degrees in communication and mathematics, respectively. Kababie is a three-time recipient of the academic award, while Schoonover is receiving the honor for the second time. Williams, who will return for her senior season next year, is majoring in psychology.
In addition Katie McMahon has been awarded NAIA All-American honors, according to an official release from the NAIA National Office earlier today. McMahon, a pitcher, is just the fifth Cougar player to receive honorable-mention honors.
McMahon, a junior from Edina, Mo., was named to the American Midwest Conference (AMC) First Team and the Region V First Team as well as being named AMC and Region V Pitcher of the Year. In her junior campaign, McMahon posted an 17-12 pitching record for Columbia. She threw 144 innings, giving up 36 earned runs for an ERA of 1.39. Katie fanned 162 batters, while giving up only 157 hits and 40 walks.
The Cougars wrapped up the 2007 season earlier this month when they received an automatic bid to the NAIA National Tournament after winning the Region V tournament title.
May 23, 2007
Lady Cougar Basketball signs Missouri State University transfer
Columbia, Mo. -- Columbia College women’s basketball coach Mike Davis officially announced today that the Lady Cougar basketball program has signed Davida Moore, a sophomore from Missouri State University, to a national letter of intent to play basketball for the Lady Cougars next season.
"Davida is a very strong and athletic post player and will really bolster rebounding for our team next season,“ said Davis. “Her size will add an inside presence that will be a great addition.”
Moore, a 6 foot forward originally from Minneapolis, Minn., led her high school team to a state championship her senior year and averaged two points and two rebounds per game at Missouri State.
"Davida is a wonderful student-athlete and is a nice fit for our program,” said Davis.
May 19, 2007
Cougars Eliminated from NAIA National Softball Tournament
Decatur, Ala. – The Columbia Cougar Softball Team struggled again today in the second day of the NAIA National Softball Tournament. The Cougars dropped both games today, falling to Vanguard (Calif.) University 2-0 and Lee (Tenn.) University 7-4., ending Columbia’s season with a mark of 28-20.
Against Vanguard, the Lions took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first and added an insurance run in the third. The Cougars posted three hits compared to Vanguard's seven. Katie McMahon, Rachel Brawner and Amanda Hodges each recorded a hit.
McMahon (17-11) pitched all innings for the Cougars, giving up one earned run and one walk, while striking out seven Lion batters.
Columbia faced Lee (43-16) in the second contest of the day, falling to the Flames 4-7. The Cougars scored one run in the second and three in the fourth, but Lee was able to score all seven runs in the third inning to secure the victory.
Chris Schoonover and Jena Strobel notched two hits and two RBIs a piece, while Stephanie Kababie, Marcie McMahon and Brawner each had one hit.
McMahon (17-12) again threw all innings for Columbia, allowing 11 hits, five earned runs and two walks. The Edina, Mo. native faced 33 batters, fanning six.
May 18, 2007
Cougar Softball drops two in National Tournament
Decatur, Ala. – The Columbia Cougar softball team started play in the NAIA National Softball Tournament today, dropping a 11-1 contest to No. 2 Simon Fraser (B.C.) University in five innings and falling to seventh seeded Oklahoma City University by a score of 10-0 in five innings. The Cougars fall to 28-18 on the season.
In the first game vs. Simon Fraser, the Clan scored all the runs they needed in the first inning when they plated three runs off of four hits. Stephanie Stowe accounted for Columbia's lone run of the game when she hit a double in the bottom of the first to score Lindsey Williams. Simon Fraser went on to score two more runs in the second and third and four in the fifth to run-rule the Cougars.
Williams, Stowe and Katie McMahon each tallied a hit in the loss, while Rachel Brawner went two-for-two. Katie McMahon (17-10) took the loss, going four and a third innings. Marcie McMahon (1-1) relieved Katie in the fifth and gave up one hit.
Against Oklahoma City, the story was similar to the first game. The Stars scored five runs in the first inning, one in the second, two in the third and two in the fourth to again run-rule the Cougars.
Columbia really struggled to get any offense going throughout the game. The McMahon sisters each posted one hit.
Meghan Bailey (10-7) recorded the loss, fanning three batters, while giving up 10 walks. Marcie McMahon relieved Bailey in the third to finish out the contest.
Columbia will continue play in the 20-team National Tournament on Saturday, May 19 when they play Vanguard (Calif.) University at noon and Lee (Tenn.) University at 7:30 p.m. to finish out pool play. Playoff games begin on Monday, May 21 and continue through Wednesday, May 23.
To see the complete National Tournament schedule and results, please visit http://naia.cstv.com/sports/w-softbl/spec-rel/091905aaa.html.
May 17, 2007
Cougar Softball participates in Champions of Character event
Decatur, Ala. - After arriving in Alabama on Tuesday night for the NAIA National Softball Championships, the Columbia Cougars have spent the last day and a half practicing and getting ready for the tournament. This afternoon they took a break from softball to read and interact with students from a local elementary school.
As part of the NAIA Champions of Character initiative, all of the team's participating in this year's championships were invited to take part in an activity to give a short character presentation and read to the pre-kindergarten through fifth grade students at Frances Nungester Elementary School and Chestnut Grove Elementary School.
Columbia was placed in the pre-kindergarten and kindergarten classes at Frances Nungester School. The students were split up into smaller groups with two athletes to a group. The Cougars read to the students and talked to them about playing softball, living in Missouri and how excited they were to start playing tomorrow.
"Today was so inspiring to be able to go and have such an impact on all those students. It's a great feeling to know that we are positive role model for young kids like that," seniors Amanda Hodges and Chris Schoonover said of today's activities.
The Cougars will put their mind back to softball tonight, as they participate in the opening ceremonies for the tournament. Columbia will open play tomorrow morning when they square off against the No. 2 seeded Simon Fraser University at 9:30 a.m.
May 16, 2007
Lady Cougar Basketball signs Blue Springs South senior guard
Columbia, Mo. -- Columbia College women’s basketball coach Mike Davis officially announced today that the Lady Cougar basketball program has signed Tabitha Davis, a senior at Blue Springs South High School, in Blue Springs, Mo., to a national letter of intent to play basketball for the Lady Cougars next season.
"Tabitha is a very good competitor,“ said Coach Davis. “She will come in and immediately help our team at the guard spot.”
Davis, a 5’9” guard, led Blue Springs South to two district championships averaging 10 points and five assists per game. She was the first player in Blue Springs South history to start every game her freshman year.
"Tabitha is a good strong player and will be a good fit for the Lady Cougars,” said Coach Davis.
Softball National Tournament schedule released
Columbia, Mo. – The Columbia Cougar softball team will play Simon Fraser (B.C.) University in its opening game of the NAIA Softball National Championship, according to the official seedings released today by the NAIA National Office. Columbia received an automatic bid to the tournament after winning the Region V tournament.
The Cougars will square off against the No. 2 seeded Simon Fraser University at 9:30 a.m. on Friday, May 18. Columbia currently stands at 28-16 on the season and was unranked in the final NAIA Top 25 Poll.
The national championship is a 20-team tournament that consists on four pools of five teams each. Participating teams include the winners of the 13 regions and seven at-large bids. Games are played at the Wilson Morgan Softball Complex in Decatur, Ala. Columbia is scheduled to depart for Decatur on Tuesday, May 15. Columbia’s pool includes the No. 2 seed Simon Fraser, No. 7 seed Oklahoma City University, Vanguard (Calif.) University, and Lee (Tenn.) University. Columbia must finish in the top two in their pool to advance to the double-elimination playoff. After their opening game, the Cougars will face Oklahoma City at 5 p.m. on Friday. On Saturday, May 19 Columbia will play Vanguard at noon and then Lee at 7:30 p.m. Playoff games begin on Monday, May 21 and continues through Wednesday, May 23.
This is the thirteenth trip to the NAIA National Tournament for the Cougar softball program. Columbia’s highest finish in the national championship is fifth, a feat the Cougars accomplished in 2004.
To see the complete National Tournament schedule, please go to http://naia.cstv.com/sports/w-softbl/spec-rel/051207aad.html.
May 10, 2007
Cougars win Region V Softball Tournament,
Earn invitation to NAIA National Tournament in Decatur, Ala.
Springfield, Mo. – For the fourth time in six seasons, the Columbia Cougars are the NAIA Region V Softball Tournament Champions. Columbia dropped Culver-Stockton (Mo.) College 4-0 in the championship game earlier today to win the three-day, eight-team playoff. The Cougars are 28-16 on the season.
With today’s victory, the Cougars earn an automatic bid into the NAIA National Tournament in Decatur, Ala. on May 17-23. The championship is a 20-team tournament featuring the champions of 14 regions, one host berth and five at-large berths. The official bracket will be released next week.
Columbia moved into the championship contest by dropping Culver-Stockton yesterday 5-3 in the semifinal round behind a stellar performance by junior pitcher Katie McMahon.
In the championship contest today, Columbia scored one run in the first inning. Chris Schoonover hit a single up the middle, stole second and was brought home when catcher Stephanie Stowe hit a single into centerfield. The Cougars struck again in the second inning when Stephanie Kababie scored after a Jena Strobel double and an error by Culver's leftfielder.
Columbia added to their lead in the fifth with two more runs. Schoonover bunted for a hit, again stole second and was plated when Stowe hit her sixth homerun of the season.
Culver was unable to get any offensive going off of Cougar ace Katie McMahon (17-8) giving Columbia the shutout victory. McMahon picked up the win for the Cougars in the title tilt. She gave up three hits and a walk, while fanning seven Wildcat batters.
In the Cougars’ four games of the tournament, they allowed their opponents to score only three runs.
Following the contest, members of the all-region squad were recognized. Katie McMahon was awarded pitcher of the year accolades. In addition to McMahon, Stephanie Stowe earned first team all-region honors as well.
Three Cougars were awarded academic all-region recognition. Recipients must be a junior or senior academically and maintain a cumulative grade point average above 3.5 on a 4.0 scale. Lindsey Williams, Stephanie Kababie and Chris Schoonover were recognized for their efforts in the classroom as well as on the field.
May 9, 2007
Cougars move onto Regional Championship Game
Springfield, Mo. - After a day full of rain delays and extra innings games, the Columbia Cougar softball team came out on top. The Cougars advanced to the championship game of the NAIA Region V Softball Tournament today with a win over Culver-Stockton (Mo.) College 5-3. With the win the Cougars, who are the third seed in the tournament, improve to 27-16 on the season.
The Cougars came from behind to defeat the No. 8 ranked Wildcats from Culver-Stockton in the winner's bracket. The Wildcats took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the second when they loaded the bases with zero outs. Culver scored just one run before Columbia could get out of the jam.
Columbia fought back in the top of the sixth when Stephanie Kababie had a two-out single to centerfield to score two. The Cougars rallied from there, scoring a total of five runs that inning off of seven hits.
The Wildcats challenged the Cougars in the bottom of the seventh, scoring two more runs, but Columbia's lead was enough to take the victory.
Katie McMahon (16-8) notched her third win of the tournament, posting three strikeouts while giving up nine hits and zero walks.
Rachel Brawner led Columbia offensively with three hits in four at-bats. Jena Strobel and Stephanie Stowe chipped in two hits a piece.
Columbia will face Culver-Stockton again tomorrow at noon. The Wildcats came back to defeat McKendree in the loser's bracket to advance to tomorrow's championship game. Since the tournament is double-elimination, Culver-Stockton would have to beat Columbia twice to win the Region V crown. The winner of the Regional tournament receives an automatic bid to the NAIA National tournament in Decatur, Ala.
May 8, 2007
Cougars advance with two wins in Regional Tournament
Springfield, Mo. - The Cougar softball squad went 2-0 today in the first day of the NAIA Region V tournament. Columbia faced Missouri Valley (Mo.) College and defeated the Vikings 2-0. In the second game of the day Columbia advanced to face MidAmerica Nazarene (Kan.) University and defeated them 1-0. The Cougars improve to 26-16 on the season.
In the first game of the day against the Vikings of Missouri Valley, the Cougar struck first. Columbia put three hits on the board to manufacture two runs. Lindsey Williams started off the game with a walk and later scored on a double by Rachel Brawner. Brawner later scored a run of her own, when she hit a solo homerun in the bottom of the fourth. Katie McMahon (14-8) got the victory for the Cougars. Katie pitched all seven innings and gave up three hits and zero walks while posting eight strikeouts.
With the win, the Cougars advanced to the second round to play MidAmerica. No. 7 seeded MidAmerica Nazarene advanced to the second round by defeating the No. 2 seeded McKendree (Ill.) College. The Cougars struggled to string together their seven hits against the Pioneers and the two teams remained scoreless until the bottom of the seventh. Columbia's Jena Strobel was able to get on base in the bottom of the inning off a single to centerfield. Amanda Hodges reached base on an error that also moved Strobel to third. Williams again came up big with a double to left center to plate Strobel and win the game.
Williams led the Cougars offensively going three-for-four from the plate. Katie McMahon (15-8) got her second victory of the day, giving up one hit and one walk while fanning five batters.
he Cougars are back on the field again on Wednesday, May 9 to take part in the second day of the Region V tournament. Columbia will face Culver-Stockton (Mo.) College at 2 p.m. The winner of the Regional tournament receives an automatic bid to the NAIA National tournament in Decatur, Ala.